Los Angeles Clippers Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Pacific Notes: Westbrook, Durant, Carmelo, Payton

February 22nd, 2023 at 7:15pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Clippers‘ front office met with Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, along with Tyronn Lue and his coaching staff, to assess the team’s needs following the trade deadline, according to Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN. The group determined that a veteran point guard would be useful, particularly after trading away Reggie Jackson and John Wall, which led to the decision to pursue Russell Westbrook if he became available.

Westbrook signed with the Clippers after a buyout with the Jazz and could debut with his new team Friday night. The 34-year-old guard will try to rehabilitate his image in L.A. after spending a rocky season and a half with the Lakers.

There’s risk involved for both sides in the new arrangement, Youngmisuk notes. The Clippers are playing their best basketball of the season, winning 10 of their last 14 games, and will now try to integrate one of the league’s most polarizing players into their lineup, possibly as a starter. Westbrook, who will be a free agent this summer, faces the possibility of tanking his value even further as he seeks his next contract.

Youngmisuk notes that the Clippers are hoping Westbrook can become a more successful version of Wall, a similar type of player, who was trying to revive his career after years of injuries. Wall was on a minutes limit for much of the season and rarely got to play with Leonard and George at the same time because they were managing injuries of their own.

“Sucked that John didn’t work,” George said, “but what John brought is what we need: A guy that can get up and down the floor and get us some easy baskets in transition.”

There’s more from the Pacific Division:

Kevin Durant will likely play his first game with the Suns on March 1 at Charlotte, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic. There had been hope that Durant would be ready for Friday’s home game against Oklahoma City or Sunday’s nationally televised contest at Milwaukee, but sources tell Charania that next Wednesday is now the target date. Durant has been sidelined since suffering an MCL sprain on January 8.
Recent comments from Durant and Chris Paul about Carmelo Anthony have led to speculation that they may lobby the Suns to sign the 38-year-old forward, according to Jeremy Cluff of The Arizona Republic. Anthony has been out of the league after playing 69 games for the Lakers last season.
Gary Payton II told reporters that he wasn’t surprised when he failed his physical with the Warriors, tweets Kendra Andrews of ESPN. Payton said he knew his body wasn’t 100% and explained that he took Toradol when he was with the Trail Blazers because “being a competitor, I just wanted to get out there.”

Russell Westbrook Signs With Clippers

February 22nd, 2023 at 7:06pm CST by Arthur Hill

FEBRUARY 22: Westbrook has signed with the Clippers after clearing waivers, the team announced (via Twitter).

FEBRUARY 20, 4:32pm: Westbrook has officially been waived, the Jazz’s PR department tweets.

FEBRUARY 20, 9:51am: Russell Westbrook will join the Clippers once he completes a buyout with the Jazz, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.

Paul George and Marcus Morris recently spoke out in favor of adding Westbrook, but Clippers management took more convincing, Wojnarowski writes. Sources tell Woj that team officials, including coach Tyronn Lue and president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank, recently had discussions with Westbrook on whether he would accept a clearly defined role that focuses on his play-making, rebounding and toughness.

Those attributes could make a difference for a Clippers team that has been searching for a point guard after failing to fill that role before the trade deadline. L.A. unloaded Reggie Jackson and John Wall in separate deals, so there was a desire to find a lead guard.

Westbrook also had discussions with the Bulls, Wizards and Heat, but Wojnarowski’s sources say he was swayed by the chance to remain in Los Angeles and compete for a title with the Clippers.

Westbrook began the season with the Lakers, continuing a relationship that seemed rocky ever since he was acquired from Washington in 2021. He adapted to a sixth man role under new coach Darvin Ham and contributed 15.9 points, 6.2 rebounds and 7.5 assists in 52 games. However, his shooting percentages remained low at 41.7% from the field and 29.6% from three-point range, and shot selection and turnovers were still an issue.

The 34-year-old guard, who was traded to Utah at the deadline, still must finalize buyout terms with the Jazz and clear waivers before he can join the Clippers. He will likely give up a portion of the money still owed to him on his $47MM+ expiring contract.

The Clippers were considered among the favorites in the West when the season began, but they have been inconsistent during a 33-28 start. If they get the best version of Westbrook to pair with Kawhi Leonard and George, his former teammate in Oklahoma City, they would be a tough playoff matchup for anyone.

Clippers Sign Keaton Wallace To Two-Way Contract

February 21st, 2023 at 7:16pm CST by Dana Gauruder

7:16pm: The signing is official, the team’s PR department announced.

6:33pm: The Clippers are signing Keaton Wallace to a two-way contract, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski tweets.

Wallace, a guard, has been playing for the Clippers’ G League team in Ontario. Los Angeles cleared a roster spot by waiving Nate Darling, who was signed to a two-way contract on Friday.

In 18 starts with Ontario, Wallace is averaging 14.6 points, 3.9 rebounds and 3.8 assists in 32.0 minutes per game.

Wallace, 23, played college ball with Texas-San Antonio and averaged 16.6 points in 125 career games with the Roadrunners. He went undrafted in 2021 and also played for the Clippers’ G League franchise last season.

He was signed by the Clippers to an Exhibit 10 contract in September and waived in the same month.

Clippers Waive Nate Darling

February 21st, 2023 at 4:56pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Clippers have waived Nate Darling, the team’s PR department tweets.

It’s a surprise move, considering Los Angeles signed Darling to a two-way deal on Friday and the team hasn’t practiced since the All-Star break. Either the Clippers had a change of heart about how to use their two-way slot or signing and waiving Darling was always the plan in order to get him some extra money on top of his G League salary.

The 6’6″ shooting guard has spent the past couple seasons with the Clippers’ NBAGL affiliate in Ontario, California.

He had a strong showing during the fall Showcase Cup, averaging 20.1 PPG, 4.4 RPG and 2.5 APG on .469/.440/.828 shooting in 19 games (31.1 MPG). That has carried over to the 2022/23 regular season with Ontario, as he’s averaging 21.4 PPG, 3.7 RPG, 1.8 APG and 1.0 SPG on .464/.389/.868 shooting in 20 games (31.7 MPG).

The Clippers opened up a two-way spot by waiving Moses Brown last week, which was reportedly a mutual decision after he had reached his two-way games played limit.

Column: Adding Westbrook Is Foolish Mistake

February 20th, 2023 at 10:51pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Clippers are making a foolish mistake by adding Westbrook, who plans to join them once he clears waivers, Bill Plaschke of the Los Angeles Times opines. The issues that Westbrook had with the Lakers — poor shooting, ball hogging, sullenness and selfishness — won’t go away when he joins Los Angeles’ other team, according to Plaschke. Adding him negates the Clippers’ strong trade deadline moves and the fact that their lineup was finally playing together, Plaschke adds.

Westbrook Could Jump Into Starting Role

February 20th, 2023 at 8:03pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Russell Westbrook only started three games with the Lakers this season but that could change when he signs with the other Los Angeles team. Westbrook, who intends to join the Clippers after clearing waivers, will have an opportunity to start, according to Law Murray of The Athletic.

ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski confirms in an appearance on NBA Today that Westbrook could be the starter (video link). Terance Mann has been starting for the Clippers, but may be moved to the second unit.

Westbrook could clear waivers in time to practice with the Clippers on Thursday and possibly make his debut on Friday, when the team faces Sacramento, according to Andrew Greif of the Los Angeles Times. Clippers players lobbied for the addition of Westbrook and feel he’ll be a better fit with them than he was with the Lakers. The Clippers have seven rotation players shooting 37% or better on 3-point attempts, which should help mask Westbrook’s struggles from the perimeter.

Clippers Notes: Kawhi, Westbrook, PG, Powell

February 18th, 2023 at 1:44pm CST by Rory Maher

After entering the season with championship expectations, the Clippers have to be disappointed with their 33-28 record to this point. They are just 21st in the league in offensive rating and 10th in defensive rating, good for a middling plus-0.3 net rating, which ranks 16th in the NBA.

While those numbers look troubling, it somewhat obscures the fact that Kawhi Leonard has returned to his dominant two-way form over the past several weeks. As Michael Pina of The Ringer details, the Clippers are 23-11 with Leonard in the lineup and boast the league’s the league’s best offensive rating and fourth-best defensive rating when he’s on the court.

Leonard, who missed all of 2021/22 with a torn ACL, is averaging 27.6 PPG, 6.5 RPG, 4.2 APG, 1.9 SPG and 0.8 BPG on .515/.465/.922 shooting over his past 17 games (36.5 MPG). Teammates and coaches have noticed the difference, Pina writes.

“He’s back to his normal self. I think the minutes is back to where he’s comfortable on the floor,” Paul George said. “No restrictions on him. So I think, you know, his flow, his timing, I think his touch, I think everything kind of just came back to normal for him, and he’s looking like the Kawhi when we first got here, pre-injury. He looks back to that level, and some.”

The two-time Finals MVP’s health will ultimately determine the Clippers’ ceiling, and he has missed 27 games for various reasons and still isn’t playing back-to-backs. Still, if he’s in the lineup, the Clippers are a fearsome opponent, Pina notes.

Here’s more on the Clippers:

George and Marcus Morris have publicly campaigned for the team to add Russell Westbrook via the buyout market, and George said Leonard likes the idea as well. Westbrook plans to meet with the Clippers’ two star forwards soon to discuss the possibility of teaming up, according to Law Murray of The Athletic.
While George advocated for adding Westbrook, he also likes the team’s trade deadline moves (they acquired Eric Gordon, Mason Plumlee and Bones Hyland) and thinks the Clippers have all the necessary pieces in place, Murray adds. “We got everything we need,” George said. “We got play-making, we got scorers. We got defensive stoppers. We just had to bring that all together, and find an identity as a group that carry us throughout games. Because again, it’s going to be a long — we plan on having a long postseason. So we got to have an identity that carries us through that long stretch.”
Reserve guard Norman Powell missed Thursday’s game against Phoenix due to right knee soreness, but Andrew Greif of The Los Angeles Times says (via Twitter) his “prevailing sense” is that there’s minimal concern about the injury and he was likely just held out to give him extra rest heading into the All-Star break. Powell is the team’s third-leading scorer, averaging 17.0 PPG on .486/.417/.805 shooting through 50 games (25.8 MPG).

Clippers Sign Nate Darling To Two-Way Deal

February 17th, 2023 at 6:45pm CST by Rory Maher

The Clippers have signed Nate Darling to a two-way contract, the team announced.

A native of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Darling went undrafted out of Delaware in 2020 and spent his rookie season on a two-way contract with Charlotte, appearing in seven games for the Hornets.

The 6’6″ shooting guard has spent the past couple seasons with the Clippers’ G League affiliate in Ontario, California.

He had a strong showing during the fall Showcase Cup, averaging 20.1 PPG, 4.4 RPG and 2.5 APG on .469/.440/.828 shooting in 19 games (31.1 MPG). That has carried over to the 2022/23 regular season with Ontario, as he’s averaging 21.4 PPG, 3.7 RPG, 1.8 APG and 1.0 SPG on .464/.389/.868 shooting in 20 games (31.7 MPG).

The Clippers waived Moses Brown earlier today, which was reportedly a mutual decision after he had reached his two-way games played limit. Darling will fill that two-way opening and can be active for up to 15 regular season games. He won’t be playoff-eligible.

Los Angeles still has one standard roster spot open, but both two-way slots are now filled.

Clippers Waive Moses Brown

February 17th, 2023 at 3:12pm CST by Luke Adams

The Clippers have officially waived center Moses Brown, the team announced today. Brown had been on a two-way contract, but reached his games-played limit when he was active for a 50th time on Thursday, as Law Murray of The Athletic notes (via Twitter).

Murray first reported (via Twitter) that the Clippers would cut Brown to free up his two-way slot. Agent Luke Glass tells ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Twitter link) that it was a mutual decision, since the 23-year-old was ineligible to play another game for the Clippers this season while on his two-way deal.

Brown appeared in 34 games for the Clippers, averaging 4.6 points and 4.1 rebounds in just 8.5 minutes per night. He served as a backup center behind Ivica Zubac, but wasn’t always a part of the rotation and slid further down the depth chart following L.A.’s trade-deadline acquisition of Mason Plumlee.

Brown, who is in his fourth NBA season, will have the ability to sign a standard or two-way deal with any team if he clears waivers on Sunday. He has previously spent time with Portland, Oklahoma City, Dallas, and Cleveland.

The Clippers now have two openings on their 17-man roster — one on their standard 15-man squad and one two-way slot.

Clippers Talking To Russell Westbrook

February 16th, 2023 at 10:32am CST by Arthur Hill

The Clippers have begun talks with Russell Westbrook after being granted permission by the Jazz, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic.

L.A. has been prominently mentioned as a possible destination for Westbrook if he agrees to a buyout with Utah. He’s established in the city after playing the past year and a half with the Lakers, and the Clippers are in need of point guard help after failing to upgrade that position at the trade deadline.

Paul George and Marcus Morris both publicly endorsed the idea of adding Westbrook to the team last week.

Westbrook appears to have several options if he accepts a buyout, with ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski mentioning the Wizards as being interested during Wednesday night’s NBA Countdown. Westbrook helped Washington secure a playoff berth in his lone season with the team before being traded to the Lakers.

The Bulls, with Westbrook’s former Oklahoma City coach Billy Donovan, and the Heat, who also need backcourt help, are believed to be other leading contenders to sign the 34-year-old guard.

Westbrook was sent to the Jazz as part of a three-way trade at last week’s deadline following a tumultuous stay with the Lakers. He adapted to a bench role this season, but still struggled with his shot, connecting at 41.7% from the field and 29.6% from three-point range.